Chartres Cathedral has 167 medieval stained-glass windows. Most date from the early 13th century, when the cathedral was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1194.
The glazing is famous for its saturated colors, especially the deep blue often called Chartres blue. The windows show biblical narratives, saints, prophets, occupational scenes, and donors who helped finance the work.
The number 167 refers to the surviving medieval windows in the cathedral as a whole. It should not be confused with the number of individual panels or narrative scenes, which is much larger.
Chartres preserved an unusually extensive body of medieval glass because many windows survived later rebuilding and wartime danger. Conservation work continues to address dirt, corrosion, structural movement, and changes caused by centuries of exposure.